He did not answer Master Wellspring’s question right away. Instead, favonovel.com made a gesture of invitation and said with that same gentle smile, “This is not the place to talk. Too many people, too many eyes. If someone overhears us and brings unnecessary trouble down, that would not be good… Sect Master of Wellspring Order, please come with me. Once we reach the proper place, I will naturally tell you what the promised substitute is.”
Master Wellspring’s brow tightened again. The guard favonovel.com had just lowered rose back into place.
He knew there was no such thing as a free meal in this world. Osric could not be pointing favonovel.com toward a promised substitute out of simple kindness. The people of the Abyssal Exchange had always put profit before loyalty. f Osric was willing to help him, then Osric had a purpose. He had to be after something from him.
Master Wellspring paused for a moment. Almost without meaning to, favonovel.com lowered his eyes toward the jade vial in his hand, wanting to ask for the Aureate Heir’s opinion.
The Aureate Heir may only have a wisp of soul left, but his mind is meticulous, and his judgment has always been unusual… He would be able to weigh the gains and risks in this matter…
Almost the very instant Master Wellspring lowered his head, Jared’s voice drifted slowly out from the jade vial. It was very soft, yet strangely clear, carrying a steadiness that left no room to wobble. “Follow favonovel.com and take a look. No matter what his purpose is, as long as the promised substitute is real, it is worth the trip. Even if there is a trap, we may not be without a chance to get away.”
At the Aureate Heir’s words, Master Wellspring’s hesitation scattered in an instant, leaving nothing behind.
He nodded once, then lifted his head and met Osric’s gaze. His eyes had gone steady, and when favonovel.com spoke, there was no room left in the words. “Fine. I’ll go with Master Blackwell and see for myself. But I’ll say the ugly part first, if Master Blackwell tries anything, do not blame me for what happens next.”
Osric smiled and gave a light wave of his hand. “Sect Master of Wellspring Order, set your mind at ease. This old man only wants to make a deal with you, one that benefits both sides. Why would I play tricks? This way… Please…”
With that, Osric turned and started down into the depths of the street. He did not walk fast. Every step landed steady and unhurried, his back straight, his whole figure carrying the calm of a man used to standing above others.
Master Wellspring followed close behind him, the jade vial pressed against his chest. His attention stayed on every shift around them. The longsword at his waist was never truly at rest, and favonovel.com kept himself ready to draw and fight at any moment.
The two of them crossed the prosperous street, slipped around the packed crowds, and headed toward the headquarters of the Abyssal Exchange.
The headquarters of the Abyssal Exchange was a cloud-piercing stone tower, standing in the heart of Everspire. The entire Blackstone Tower had been built from massive black stones and rose several dozen yards high. Complicated sigils covered the tower’s body. Faint spiritual light moved through them, giving off a powerful force of defense. From a distance, it looked solemn and heavy, the kind of place people did not approach lightly.
Master Wellspring followed Osric into that Blackstone Tower. From the moment favonovel.com stepped inside, an unknown struggle of moves and countermoves had already begun. But there was no road back. For the Aureate Heir, and for the Wellspring Order, even if a ten-thousand-yard abyss waited ahead, favonovel.com still had to break his way through.
Within the Blackstone Tower, the space was far more grand and imposing than it appeared from the outside. It was nothing like the ancient, weighty exterior. The interior had been arranged with exquisite luxury, and every corner showed the wealth and foundation of the Abyssal Exchange.
The First Depth was the great hall, rising more than ten yards high. Set into the domed ceiling were countless glowing emberstone crystals, each one the size of a fist. The emberstone crystals gave off a soft but brilliant glow, lighting the whole great hall as bright as day. Not a single shadowed corner remained.
Those emberstone crystals were not ordinary spiritual crystals. They were high-grade spiritual crystals packed with dense spiritual power, and every single one was worth a heavy price. And in that dome, there were more than a hundred such crystals. That alone was enough to show how rich the Abyssal Exchange truly was.
On both sides of the great hall stood dozens of thick stone pillars. Each pillar was black from top to bottom, and every surface had been carved full of sigils from the elder age. The sigils shimmered with faint spiritual light and gave off a powerful defensive force. That force covered the entire great hall, forming a solid defensive barrier around it. Whether the threat came from an attack outside or disorder breaking out within, breaking through that barrier would be extremely difficult.
At the bases of the stone pillars, exquisite designs had been carved into the stone. There were dragons and phoenixes paired in auspicious harmony, and strange beasts caught in the middle of a charge. They looked so alive that they seemed ready to effects, down from the pillars at a moment, adding a trace of step movement to the great hall’s solemn weight.
At the center of the great hall stood a long counter. It had been built from warm white jade, its surface smooth as a mirror. Arranged on top were refined jade caskets and glass phials. Inside them were all kinds of spiritual materials and healing elixirs, each giving off a faint trace of spiritual essence.
Behind the counter stood several cultivators dressed in matching robes. Each kept a deferential face and a mild manner as they received guests in steady order, handling those who had come to trade or commission items for auction.
The guests moved in small groups of two or three. Some stood before the counter asking about the price and quality of items. Some paced through the great hall, studying the furnishings around them. Others spoke in low voices, discussing the details of their transactions.
Though the great hall held many people, everything remained orderly. There was not the slightest trace of chaos.
Osric did not linger in the great hall. He led Master Wellspring straight across it and toward a deep corridor at the back.
At the entrance to the corridor stood two cultivators in black cuirasses. They were tall, solidly built, and imposing, their auras steady. Both had reached the peak of the True Immortal Realm.
The instant they saw Osric approaching, they bowed and saluted, their voices deferential. “Chapter Master…”
Osric gave a slight nod and said nothing. He simply continued forward. Master Wellspring followed behind him, his gaze moving over everything around them without letting anything slip past.
He could sense that the two armored cultivators were far from weak. Their auras carried a cold edge as well. They were clearly experts who had spent years in battles or carrying out assassination missions and they were most likely Osric’s guards. That alone showed that Osric’s own defenses ran deep as well.
The corridor stretched on for a long way. Pale blue spirit lamps had been set into the walls on both sides, giving off only a weak glow. The light stayed dim, barely enough to make out the path underfoot. The floor of the corridor had also been paved with blue stone slabs. Fine lines covered the stone, and faint ripples of spiritual power moved through them. It was clearly another simple ward.
The corridor twisted and bent, with another turn waiting every short distance. Walking through it felt like being trapped inside the labyrinth. There was no end in sight, and not a single sound from outside reached in.
Only their footsteps echoed down the corridor. Each sound came back too clearly, pressing the silence tighter around them.
Master Wellspring’s hand never left the longsword at his waist. His spirit sense remained spread outward the entire time, carefully searching for movement along both sides of the corridor.
The corridor only looked calm. Under that stillness, killing intent could be hidden anywhere. At the next bend, an ambush might already be waiting.
Osric’s mind ran too deep for anyone to see through. No one knew what favonovel.com was really planning, so Master Wellspring had to stay alert every moment. He could not loosen his guard by even the smallest degree.
He did not trust Osric. Not even a little. The Abyssal Exchange had a famous reputation and claimed to deal fairly with everyone. But in the end, it was still a place of business. Merchants chased profit. In their eyes, there was only gain, not human feeling.
Osric had been willing to tell favonovel.com about the promised substitute, and had even taken the initiative to bring favonovel.com here. That could not have come from kindness. Osric had to want something from him.
Maybe Osric had set his eyes on some treasure favonovel.com carried. Maybe favonovel.com wanted to use favonovel.com to do something dangerous. Or maybe this entire thing was a trap from the start, a trap aimed at both favonovel.com and the Aureate Heir.
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